


A Guide on How to Become the Best Negotiator

by Mentat



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: M/M, Qui-Gon Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-11-17 07:19:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11270709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mentat/pseuds/Mentat
Summary: At first, Obi-Wan thought it was not a good idea."I have a very bad feeling about this," he said after the Battle of Naboo, "about you taking Anakin as your apprentice -"An AU in which Qui-Gon lived; Anakin was his new apprentice. Obi-Wan was not very optimistic - and his premonition proved correct during their first mission. But every coin has two sides - through dealing with the trouble-making pair, Obi-Wan unintentionally became the greatest negotiator ever.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I guess this should be categorised under "Fluff", but my guess is almost always wrong. Anyway, here you go, a short story about Obi-Wan trying very hard to clean the mess left by his old Master and the impulsive young Skywalker. 
> 
> Editing has always been my weakness, so if you see any mistake (grammar, expression, ect) please tell me! Thank you.

At first, Obi-Wan thought it was not a good idea.

 

"I have a very bad feeling about this," he said after the Battle of Naboo, "about you taking Anakin as your apprentice -"

 

Qui-Gon laughed. "My dear Padawan, although I value your judgement very much, sometimes you seem to worry too much. After all, we have survived the battle."

 

"But taking him means that I will have to ..." Obi-Wan bit his lower lip, feeling his throat suddenly dry, "I will have to become a Jedi Knight." He lowered his voice, as if murmuring to himself: "But I am not ready, Master."

 

Qui-Gon put his hand on Obi-wan's shoulder, then squeezed it hard. "Obi-Wan," he said, his gaze locked firmly on the Padawan's face, "you _are_ ready. You did defeat Darth Maul in the battle, and as a master, I am very proud of you. My force vision may not be strong as you, but I am sure that you will be a great Jedi." He lifted his hand.

 

Obi-Wan was not too sure about this. There was always something deep in his mind, tugging him at some most unexpected moment, and tell him that this may precipitate a crisis.

 

However, as a dutiful Padawan ( _ex-Padawan actually_ , Obi-Wan thought bitterly) and a faithful servant of the Jedi Council, he accepted the decision like nothing had happened. During the years of apprenticeship, Obi-Wan had forged a strong bond with his master, whom he revered and admired. The affection certainly made the separation more difficult than other Master-Padawan pairs, yet as a devout adherent of the Jedi Code, Obi-Wan knew he must let go.

 

Therefore he happily flew to an outback star system to begin his first mission, in order to weaken the bond. Since he was not a Padawan anymore, he could not ask for help easily like the old days. He must get over this and be a great Jedi, because it was what his master expected of him.

 

So he continued to work in various star systems, dealing with unreasonable local authorities, persuading planets that teetered on the edge of Separatism, pursuing ambiguous clues of some renegade Jedi who presumably had turned to the Dark Side, and fought a few small-scaled battles against ruthless dictators. Since he found himself disliking violence, he worked on his negotiation skills and became a rather adept diplomat. By the time he was called back to Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan Kenobi had already gained some popularity.

 

He was genuinely surprised when the Council asked him to go on a mission with Qui-Gon and the legendary Skywalker. Maybe they thought the long separation had done its work and both Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were ready to start developing a new type of relationship – a mutual respect between two equally competent Jedi. Or maybe this was a test for Obi-Wan, to see if he truly qualified as a Jedi Knight. No matter the motive behind, Obi-Wan was determined to perform at his best.

 

In the meantime, Obi-Wan could not help but noticing that the young Skywalker on Tatooine had grown up. His boyish countenance became a teen's - his round face now more defined, his cheeks protruding, and his eyes turned from baby blue to a color between cerulean and cornflower blue, with a slight touch of grey. The most drastic change was his height - he shot up from a small, puny little boy to a tall, well-built teen, ready to enter his manhood. When he pulled up his sleeve in hot weather and revealed his powerful biceps, Obi-Wan was sure that he stood no chance of defeating this young man in a physical combat, despite that he was much older.

 

He watched Anakin fight with interest. The young man attacked with such ferocity, such speed that none he knew could match. He was _the Chosen One_ , after all. Yet the techniques were not quite there yet - Obi-Wan could identify several flaws in his defense.

 

"He is too aggressive, isn't he, Master ... Jinn?" He tried to avoid becoming too intimate, but Qui-Gon did not sense the subtle change of words. He replied: "Yes, and he needs to be polished a bit, my old Padawan."

 

Obi-Wan's heart jumped at the affectionate tone that Qui-Gon used to address him. He was thankful to the fact that their friendship remained unbreakable, but the intimacy seemed utterly inappropriate in such a circumstance. However, when Obi-Wan thought of it later, this made perfect sense: Qui-Gon never bothered much about the Jedi Code.

 

And little did Obi-Wan knew, that was precisely the how the troubles began.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will update the next chapter soon!

They landed on a rather big outback planet. It was an icy cold, a complete opposite to Anakin’s home world. The planet was ruled by a temperamental Queen, whom was known for slaughtering an entire legion of Noble Guards because they failed to carry out her order.

Obi-Wan had read the mission file three times, making sure that he would not miss anything. Anakin seemed nonchalant, and Qui-Gon, in his typical way, glanced at the file once and put it aside. As his Padawan for so many years, Obi-Wan knew his master hardly followed the plan.

Anyway, it was generally a rescue mission. Some ignorant indigenous people from Teilhard system* were tricked and captured by smugglers, and then shipped to this planet to work as slaves for the queen. The local Teilhard authorities requested for help. The Jedi Council thought this was suitable for Anakin Skywalker as his first mission of some significance, so they sent the famous pair. _The question is_ , thought Obi-Wan, _Why me? Usually it is sufficient for a master and a Padawan to deal with it …_

Wrapped in at least three layers of fur coat, Obi-Wan followed his master and the new apprentice to the palace. Their first job was to ask if they could request a formal meeting with the Queen, in an amiable way of course, but the guards were suspicious of them.

“There is no way that a Jedi will bother to come here. Our planet is too far away, and besides, we’ve called ’em couple of times last year and no one has responded.” Replied a pompous-looking man.

“Sir, I am sorry that we have not responded. It is a fact that there are simply too few of us, and the galaxy itself is enormous. You must understand our difficulties … but this time we come for an urgent matter.”

“But you can’t be a Jedi, and even you are, our Queen will not meet you. She is angry because you Jedi did not answer her request.” Drawled the guard, “Now get out of here. I have other business to attend to.”

Obi-Wan was going to step back and thought of another way to meet the Queen, but he was stopped by Anakin. The impulsive Padawan could not take it anymore. He lunged forward, grabbing the man by his collar, and turned on his light saber. The blue light was only an inch from the man’s neck, emitting a dangerous sizzling sound.

“Anakin!” Obi-Wan shouted, forgetting that he was not Anakin’s Master.

The angry apprentice ignored him. He spoke in a low, threatening tone: “Now, are we going to see the Queen or not?”

The terrified man struggled, screamed, kicked in the air, seeing all that failed and spluttered the answer. “Y-yes,” he stammered, face red, “I will arrange it.”

Anakin put the man down. Obi-Wan tried to say something, maybe an apology to soothe the panicking guard, but the pale-faced victim hurried away without a word.

The culprit now was grinning happily. “I’ve got us all in the Palace!”

Obi-Wan decided that this was not his problem, and walked away.

-

While waiting for further notice, they camped beside their ship. Qui-Gon went to collect some firewood from a forest nearby (and to pick up some exotic animals, Obi-Wan mused), whereas Anakin was doing some maintenance job. Since Obi-Wan had nothing to do, he mediated.

The force flowed around him like warm ocean current. It swirled slowly, occasionally splashed onto his face. It sloshed and surged under his command, forming a giant, liquid sphere around him. The heat emitted by the sphere kept the harsh weather outside, keeping him comfortable in the center.

Then someone sent a ripple through the link that he considered non-existent for the past years as a new Jedi Knight. The link between him and Qui-Gon was intact. In fact, it was still worryingly strong. Obi-Wan lowered his mental shield to receive further transmission as soon as he detected the vibration.

It turned out that his master found the entrance to the slave pit, and blended in successfully. The problem was, he could not get out in time. Therefore, he devised a clever plan: he would try to locate the smugglers and to bring them down, whereas Obi-Wan and Anakin would team up and divert the Queen’s attention.

Obi-Wan moaned at the situation. The protecting force sphere shattered into pieces, and joined other force current to flow away from him. Obi-Wan felt the familiar sense of vertigo like he was gazing at the vortex of a black hole. He knew it was just his body reacting to the premonition.

He existed the meditation trance, stood up, shaking off the snow on his coat. To Anakin, Obi-Wan said apologetically, “Sorry, but we will have to sleep by the engine tonight.”

-

Obi-Wan woke up, found himself suffocating. He opened his eyes, and discovered he was entangled by long limbs from another human. Anakin wrapped around him like some sort of giant octopus, his muscular arm around Obi-Wan’s neck.

Obi-Wan carefully freed himself from the grasp of the octopus without waking him up. He checked on the force bond between him and his master before he entered the kitchen, and started to heat up some prepacked food.

When the sun was high, Anakin entered the control room following the mouth-watering scent of cooked food. He picked up a piece of toast and gulped it down, while drinking Obi-Wan’s precious tea in one swallow.

“Delicious.” He praised.

Obi-Wan sighed. _Clearly, Anakin did not know what appreciation is._

-

They set off some time early in the morning. When they finally walked to the Palace, it was already noon time, but the air outside was still very cold. Obi-Wan dared not even take off his gloves.

They were pushed into the palace by a few guards, each was alert with weapons drawn. All their eyes were on Anakin, who, according to them, had bested one of their officials. Obi-Wan did not blame them for being hostile, but the mission was getting harder thanks to these two troublemakers.

The Queen was already waiting on the stage, with her veil drawn. She was sitting on a grand crystal throne, with a white silk garb and glittering jewelries all over her body. One glance and Obi-Wan was sure that they were all expensive imports.

He lowered his gaze and knelt down.  
“By the name of Ice and Snow, I honor thee.” He recited the words from the mission file, while secretly gestured Anakin to do the same. The Padawan grunted, knelt and extended his hands like Obi-Wan did. There was no response from the Queen.

After he felt the soft touch of her hands, Obi-wan realized she walked down the throne. The Queen was very pale, Obi-Wan noticed, if not for her blue eyes and golden curls, she could be easily mistaken with an albino.

“Rise, alleged Jedi,” her voice was of rich contralto, “I heard that you have assaulted my guard.”

The Queen looked placid as if she was calm, but the occasional flicker of seething anger in the pair of piercing blue eyes had betrayed her. Obi-Wan knew he must choose his words very, very carefully.

“Your Majesty,” he began, fighting the urge to quaver, “I … I apologise for the reckless behaviour of this young Padawan.”

Beside him, Anakin shifted slightly in protest. Obi-Wan sighed, keeping his gaze on the ground and continued, “I wish the merciful Queen could forgive his … ah, childish action. He will apologise and, you will have my deepest gratitude, your Majesty, if you can accept the apology.” Then he lowered his voice to a whisper and nudged the boy: “Say sorry now, Anakin!”

The Padawan held his head high as if in defiance. Everything could be destroyed if the hot-tempered Skywalker said something else. Obi-Wan found himself scouting for possible exists while Anakin kept quiet.

“I apologise, you Majesty.”

Obi-Wan breathed out in relief. The Queen’s face was still stony cold, but at least the anger in her eyes faded a bit. Obi-Wan mustered up his courage and gazed into the pair of icy cold eyes.

“Your Majesty, may I venture to raise the main subject of our visit?” After receiving a terse acknowledgement, he continued, “It has come to the attention of Jedi Council that, some indigenous people from Teilhard Star System were abducted by a few outlaws, and they were sold, ah, to your Majesty’s planet.”

“We have never heard of Teilhardians. Neither smugglers, Jedi.”

Obi-Wan stepped forward. “Your Majesty, it could be the fact the smugglers disguise themselves and deceived you. We only wish to capture them and return the poor victims back to their home planet.”

“We will know if there are smugglers.” The Queen turned sharply at them, “Maybe they have disguised as Jedi.”

Obi-Wan felt Anakin’s muscle tensed. He grabbed at the Padawan’s wrist to hold him off, while forced out chuckles to feign that no offense had been taken. “You have a very good sense of humour, your Majesty. However, Jedi are hard to fake.”

He flitted his hand to lift up an apple held by a maid. The force answered his beckoning and surged under the apple, finally holding it steadily in mid-air. Obi-Wan heard a tide of low murmurs and whispers swept through the spectators.

The Queen seemed unimpressed. She caught the apple and put it down. “Enough of the performance. I shall never grant you the permission of investigation on this matter. Guards!” She raised her voice, and the next second, Obi-Wan’s both arms were held firmly in the iron grip of two strong men.

“Send them off.” The Queen ordered, seated herself in an elegant, fluid-like motion.

-

“We must show her the true colour of the Jedi.” The young Skywalker crossed his arms, “or she will just go on ignoring us. The whole mission will be blown!”

“No, Anakin, violence is never the way to solve the issue.” Obi-Wan replied in his most patient tone, “We need to think of something else.”

“But Master Jinn gets to take the adventure! It is so unfair!” Anakin protested, “now he must be fighting with the smugglers, I bet.”

“No, he cannot fight them alone. It was obviously an organised abduction, so there must be many enemies.”

“Then I’ll help.”

“You don’t,” Obi-Wan glared at the Padawan, then continued to scroll down the file projected in the hologram, “There will only be more troubles. The Council expects us to bring the men back in a peaceful manner, because this planet – although we disprove of slavery – is under our protection. We cannot start a fight.”

“I hate politics and the Council.” Muttered the boy. Obi-Wan shook his head at the reaction – the defiance to the council was definitely inherited from Qui-Gon.


	3. Chapter 3

The Teilhardians were actually humans who left their mother planet, Earth, centuries ago and settled down in a world that is far away from the centre of Republic. Despite the isolation, they did not take a different track of evolution, but maintained most the human traits. The only difference was that they were all brown-haired, smooth-skinned, with golden eye pigments (Probably due to the minerals on the planet). Luckily for Qui-Gon, the place where the smugglers kept them was dim, so the supervisor could not tell him apart from the rest.

 

The slaves’ living condition was poor. Hundreds of Teilhardians were squeezed into a damp and dingy dungeon, below a fortress built by previous slave traders. Qui-Gon recalled that Obi-Wan had mentioned about the labour system of this planet, saying that slavery existed even before it joined the Republic. Initially the Republic wanted to interfere, but the Queen’s predecessors had argued that the birth rate of this planet could never balance out the death rate due to the unforgiving environment, so they needed extra manpower from other places to sustain the development of society. However, no one would willingly come and live in a place where snow storms and hailstones of various scales rages daily, so they would have to extort to extreme measures: trafficking. After those ridiculous explanations, the ruling party of this planet played their trump card – threatening to deny the permissions of extracting a special type of mineral from the Republic. Obviously, the corrupted politicians had no choice but to agree. That was why the fortress was built long ago and had been reinforced and refurbished over the years.

 

This time, however, the situation was different. Obi-Wan said although trafficking was allowed, it was closely monitored. Usually the traffickers would seize people from different worlds, each time a number small enough to escape local authority’s attention. But these smugglers had taken a whole town’s population in Planet Teilhard which was already sparsely populated. Thus the local planetary government panicked and requested for help. Since this was serious, the Republic had no choice but to send out the Jedi.

 

Qui-Gon did not bother much on political complications. Unlike his old Padawan, Qui-Gon only listened to the force, as force cannot deceive, nor is it prone to mistakes. When he first came here, it was the force that directed him to this fortress, in which he successfully disguised as one of the slaves. Then he spent a couple of days talking to Teilhardians using various dialects he knew, and was genuinely surprised to find that most of them spoke Old Earth English. Still, some of them had travelled outside the planet Teilhard before, so they could understand a bit of Galactic Basic, which made the conversation easier.

 

Qui-Gon found that they were essentially a peace-loving species. They had their unique view to the universe that all the intelligent species would eventually evolve into a single organism, a “god” that embodied the consciousness of the universe one day. They said that in order to do so, all species would need to develop a “Hive Mind”. Qui-Gon interpreted it as psychic links between individuals, like force bonds between Master and Padawan, only that they were weaved into a web. The problem of the Hive Mind was that if one of constituent individual was injured, then all would share the agony experienced by the wounded person. _This is a factor needed to be considered if the rescue mission is to be successful_ , Qui-Gon thought. _They must be evacuated together, without anyone being harmed or left behind._

-

Obi-Wan was searching for the request that the Queen made to the Jedi Council years ago. If the issue remained unresolved and Obi-Wan could somehow deal with it, then there might be a chance that the Queen would change her mind and gave them the permission.

 

Unfortunately for Obi-Wan, Anakin was bored. He was not, in nature, a patient person, and the fact that he was in puberty – the most restless stage of a person- worsened the situation. Moreover, it was the first important mission Anakin had ever been on. If he did not even touch his lightsaber during the journey, other apprentices in the temple would definitely mock at him. So he asked Obi-Wan again if he could just go to the Palace twice, and demanded the reception of the Queen.

 

“Things do not work this way, Anakin.” Obi-Wan answered tiredly. He rubbed his temple, feeling the imminent assault of a serious headache.

 

“Then I want to go with Qui-Gon.”

 

“We have discussed this.” Obi-Wan took a deep breath, and released the anger into the force. The last thing he needed was to lose his head – because Qui-Gon needed his help desperately, or his old Master might be trapped forever in that slave pit. And his petulant Padawan, Anakin, needed to be looked after so that the imprudent young man would not get himself killed by the angry Queen.

 

Obi-Wan scrolled down, and finally found the information he looked for. The Queen was looking for a young girl named Lilian O’Hara, aged 15, who was pale-skinned and blue eyed like the Queen herself, with the only difference being that she was a brunette but the Queen was a blonde.

 

He understood why the Council had ignored the request back then. It was just a little girl, and surely the Queen, the ruler of this icy world, could find the girl by herself. Now that Obi-Wan thought of it, the issue might not be as simple as it seemed.

 

“Anakin, good news: we have work to do. Now we need to look for a girl named Lilian O’Hara.”

 

Upon hearing this, the young Padawan’s eyes brightened instantly.

 

-

 

They went into a small tavern. Initially Obi-Wan was afraid that there was an age limit, but later he saw some teenagers in it, too. It seemed like the world was so cold that everyone needed alcohol to generate heat to stay warm, so no age limit was imposed to discourage the anyone.

 

Obi-Wan tried to be as unobvious as possible, so he lowered his hood and told Anakin to do the same. Yet their cover was quickly proved useless after Obi-Wan ordered the drink. “You’re new.” Commented the bartender casually as he shoved two glass cups at their direction.

 

Obi-Wan was debating whether he should confirm the bartender’s speculation when Anakin opened his mouth. “We are Jedi,” he deliberately took the glass cup designated to Obi-Wan and guzzled the liquid inside, “and do you know where Lilian O’Hara is?”

 

The bartender arched an eyebrow. “Lilian O’Hara? What a curious question! Why do you ask, young lad?”

 

“We believe the Queen might be looking for her.” Obi-Wan answered. There was no point to hide anymore.

 

“Yes, that girl. The Queen liked her very much. She was sent to the Palace as a maid when she was young, or so I heard. Must’ve been her favourite maid, then.” The bartender talked while wiping clean washed glass cups, “And then she was missing. Rumour has it that she got smuggled away.”

 

“Smuggled?”

 

“Yep, smuggled. Or she made a deal with the traffickers and got away. Whatever. The most interesting part is her relationship with the Queen.” The man lowered his voice, glanced around, and continued, “some believe that she was the Queen’s _daughter._ ”

 

 _Daughter._ Obi-Wan did not need to check the file again to know that the rumour was probably real. The young lady had the same penetrating blue eyes and white skin like her mother. Besides, she also shared her mother’s high cheekbones and slender nose. When she was not smiling, her look also matched the Queen’s haughty expression.

 

“But she was not a Princess. Why?”

 

“The Queen was never married, so Lilian could not be the legitimate heir. Anyway, she remained missing for five years already. No chance of getting her back, strangers. Sorry about that.” The bartender shrugged. Obi-Wan stared at his orange juice and said nothing: they might still have a chance.

 

-

 

They stayed for a while and inquired about the traffickers. The voluble bartender gave them the information most obligingly after Obi-Wan praised him to be a well-informed person. According to him, the smugglers would come at seven every day to enjoy the discount on beers and shrimps.

 

Since it was already six, Obi-Wan decided to wait. Anakin was very alert, as he kept his hands on the lightsabre while glaring at each passers-by like they were all potential Sith lords. Obi-Wan was tensed, too, but not because of the other customers, but out of the fear that Anakin would involve in some unnecessary fight.

 

Suddenly there was a disturbance in his force bond with Qui-Gon. The matter seemed to be urgent. Obi-Wan dissolved his metal shield and was nearly disorientated by the powerful impulse from the bond. Qui-Gon said the slaves were to transport to the Queen’s Palace at eight o’clock.

 

 _Queen’s Palace?_ He did not remember that slaves had ever stepped into the Palace before. _And the Queen said she had never heard of Teilhardians. Something is very wrong here._

Obi-Wan told Anakin what he knew before calling the bartender. “I am just curious,” he said, “has any slave worked in the Palace before?”

 

The loquacious man laughed. “No such thing. Slaves were never allowed to enter the holy Palace. Would foul the air and dirty the floor, they say.”

 

Suspicion confirmed, Obi-Wan sent Qui-Gon his findings and waited for the arrival of smugglers. He needed to phrase his questions carefully in the next few minutes to avoid unnecessary attentions while extracting the information needed. If they have failed and their identity exposed, the mission would truly end. And he probably could never be able to see his master again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, one more chapter to go if everything's according to plan. Thanks for the kudos & comments!❤


	4. Chapter 4

The traffickers were a bunch of sturdy and muscular men, plus a few could-be Shistavanens. Anakin did not know much about other extra-terrestrial species – he had never actually paid much attention on this aspect, because he did not find the knowledge useful.

 

Although they all looked intimidating with their stern expression and beardy look, Anakin was not afraid. Instead, he felt the familiar adrenaline rush sweeping through his body. He placed his hands on the sheath of his lightsaber, ready to draw his weapon out when he needed to. Anakin was fairly certain that the thugs were incapable of dealing with the Jedi, despite their number and weapons. He could easily incapacitate the man wrapped in green robe just for a start …

 

Anakin tensed when he felt another hand on his. Obi-Wan was holding he off, his grasp gentle but firm. He looked at the older Jedi questioningly. “Why can’t we just take down all of them?” He whispered, slightly annoyed.

 

“We mustn’t, Anakin. This is not all of them, besides, any fight could result in death. But the Jedi Council expects us to bring these criminals back alive, so that they could be prosecuted justly. After all, we live in a civilised world.”

 

“It can’t be civilised if the Republic tolerates slavery.” Anakin grunted, “But what can you do? If you don’t take them down and interrogate them, how can you get the information to save Master Jinn?”

 

“There are other ways, Anakin.” As he was saying, Obi-Wan pulled his hood low, and walked directly to where the thugs were sitting. Anakin followed, but he was full of doubts.

 

“I hear that you all are _businessmen_.” Obi-Wan said quietly, his face hidden in the shadow of the hood. One of the traffickers in a brown jacket squinted at him, and huffed.

 

“Look who’s here! An _off-worlder_.” He sneered at Obi-Wan, and turned his gaze at Anakin, “with a little boy. What do ya want, _stranger_?”

 

Anakin felt anger boiling up inside him. _I am not a little boy anymore._ He thought, and clutched his lightsaber more tightly.

 

“Merely an offer.” The Jedi Knight did not finch at the open hostility, but he moved his hand away from Anakin’s. “Beers first, though.” He order drinks for each of them.

 

The thugs were pleased by the free bear. Some of them squeezed inward to make room for Obi-Wan to sit. Obi-Wan just smiled and patted Anakin’s shoulder.

 

“Lilian O’Hara,” he said, approaching his subject directly, “you have heard her?”

 

“Lilian? That little girl? Of course, who haven’t?” The man in brown, probably their leader, glanced around and snorted, “And the bountiful reward, eh?”

 

Some men whistled at the word bountiful, while other chortled. Anakin sat down, his hand still on the lightsaber, and every muscle in his body was alert and ready for a fight.

 

“Yes, indeed. And I believe that the reward still holds?”

 

“Of course, stranger.” The man drummed his fingers on the table, “And?”

 

“We know where she is.”

 

All the men sitting stopped whatever they were doing and snapped to attention. The bar was still filled with laughter and clinking noise of glass cups, but at this corner, these were all that they could hear. The air seemed liquidated, and Anakin felt that as if something weighty had landed on his shoulder unexpectedly.

 

“…What did you say?” The leader raised his voice.

 

“Lilian O’Hara, we know where she is.” Obi-Wan said, matter-of-factly.

 

Suddenly everything had gone awry. Tables were flipped, glasses shattered, men screamed and laser gun fired – Anakin found the lightsaber buzzing contentedly in his hand. A huge Shistavanen roared and lunged at Anakin’s direction, his sharp knife glinting in the dim tavern.

 

“Anakin!”

 

Obi-Wan was shouting in the background. Anakin did not care – he felt sheer excitement surging in his veins, a sense of inexpressible joy mixed with the desire to kill whirled in the force around him. With one hand he commanded the force to drag the Shistavanen away, the other swung the lightsaber in a lethal arc.

 

“Anakin!”

 

Anakin swivelled and looked at Obi-Wan. The older Jedi was confronting two smugglers, each with a laser gun. “The door!” he said, stepping backward to dodge a shattered glass cup directed at his way.

 

Anakin growled. “Why?” He yelled back, deflecting a few shots and crippled his attacker, “We could – ”

 

His word was drowned by the salvage roar of the leader in brown jacket. “There is _no way_ you know where she is,” he barked at Obi-Wan, “No way! Unless you are _informed_ by my competitor. If this is the case …” he lowered his volume and advanced a few steps toward Obi-Wan. “You deserve to _die_.”

Anakin hurtled a wooden chair at him. He felt the strong current of the force lifting the heavy furniture, propelled it, and he watched the chair hit the man. Obi-Wan ducked to avoid the impact, then ran towards Anakin’s direction.

 

“Thank you.” he said, while starting to move towards the door.

 

“But why don’t you fight?” Anakin refused to go.

 

“I can’t. Remember they would be seeing the Queen later, and she can only be more irked when she learns that they are all dead.”

 

“But they definitely will talk about the fight, and us.” Anakin persisted.

 

“No, they will not if we can see the Queen first. I am afraid this matter is more complicated than a rescue mission, Anakin.”

 

-

 

 _The only explanation to the sudden berserk behaviour of the gang after hearing his bluffing is that they have the girl._ Obi-Wan contemplated. _And the reason why they are all summoned to the Palace is that the Queen wants to find the girl. The problem is, according to you, there are many Teilhardians in the dungeon. Why all slaves?_

_Maybe the Queen thought they were the kidnappers of her beloved daughter._ Qui-Gon replied from the other end.

 

 _It is logical_. Obi-Wan agreed, _but I sense something else …_

 

Their bond rippled. It was an equivalent of a chuckle. _Then it will be another reason, my dear Obi-wan._

 

Obi-Wan tried his very best to suppress his emotion at the words Qui-Gon used. Through the force bond, they were more attuned to each other’s emotions, so it was difficult to hide anything. But Obi-Wan did not want Qui-Gon to learn about his feelings. It was against the rule and he would be disappointed.

 

To avoid awkwardness, he steered the conversation to another direction. _What news do you have on Teilhardians?_

 

 _Not much,_ Qui-Gon answered _, I could not locate Lilian O’Hara. They all looked the same in the dungeon with the typical brown hair and golden eyes. But I asked them to use the Hive Mind – an interesting mental web that allows all Teilhardians to communicate or to share feelings through thoughts. That was why I asked them to search for the girl Lilian, but they all said that there was no such person among them._

 

 _She could have changed her name._ Obi-Wan suggested.

 

 _It could be._ Qui-Gon expressed his agreement to Obi-Wan judgement, before restoring his metal shield.

 

Obi-Wan came out from meditation and walked around to get rid of the cramps. The cold weather was very unsuitable for such activities, because soon his body would turn numb. It was easy to get frostbites, too.

 

There were outside the Palace, waiting to be admitted in. When it was their turn, the guard-in-charge let out a surprised yelp and bounced backward for several meters.

 

“It is them again! Those Jedi freaks!”

 

At the next second, all the guards swarmed out of the Palace and surrounded them, their energy rifles or laser guns directing at the Jedi’s chest. Anakin put his hand on the lightsaber and received a few shots aiming at his direction, but luckily he dodged them. “Don’t move!” The man whom Anakin had threatened shouted.

 

 

“We come in peace,” Obi-Wan said, “because we have urgent – ”

 

“The Queen ordered that you may never enter the Palace. Leave, or we will escort you out.”

 

Obi-Wan sighed. _Time is running out. There may be no other ways to see the queen – to save his master from the imminent beheading._ (He was sure that the Queen would execute the rest once she found her daughter.) So he may – may need some help.

 

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan whispered, his voice barely audible over the howling wind outside, “We may need to enter by force.”

 

The young man turned on his lightsaber even before he finished the sentence. “But try not to kill – ” Obi-Wan’s caution was buried by the noise generated by the chaos. He flung a few men aside but carefully not to do too much damage, as later he might not be able to explain everything – and rushed towards the Palace door with Anakin.

 

Anakin seemed to be more at ease in battlefield than him. He was like a natural-born predator, each motion was graceful yet lethal enough to terminate one’s life.

 

But now Obi-Wan knew he could not care so much. He needed to see the Queen and to stop he possible massacre, although injuring her guards might be hard to explain …

 

“NO!” Obi-Wan stood frozen at the scene. The slaves arrived earlier than he expected. Obviously the traffickers wanted to wait no more. The Queen was among the traffickers, too, and now she was staring at his direction, an angry scowl formed on her beautiful face.

 

“What do you think you are doing, Jedi?” She raised her voice.

 

“You don’t have to kill all of them if you only want Lilian,” Obi-Wan took a bold step forward, “… Your Majesty. We are truly sorry for not tracking down the missing girl once you made the request years ago, but those people … they have families, too. Their families would feel the same like when you had lost your daughter – ”

 

“Shut up, you damnable Jedi. They are kidnappers. I will examine them one by one, and eliminate the person if it is not her.” She signalled to the Noble Guards to bring the first one into the Palace.

 

“Your Majesty!” Obi-Wan glanced outside the garden, and saw a large group of dark-haired Teilhardians waiting. He spotted his master easily enough, though, for he was tall and of a different hair colour. The traffickers did not notice because they were all staring at Obi-Wan himself and Anakin beside him.

 

The Queen continued to ignore him and brought the first one into the Palace. He was pale and slim, but the Queen did not even hesitate to order the execution. She was looking for a woman, not a man.

 

After hearing his fate, the man looked shocked. The crowd outside seemed to shift a bit in unison, as if sharing the disbelief – **sharing the disbelief!**

 

“You Majesty! You must not kill the man if you love your daughter,” Obi-Wan shouted out loud, “You could only make her feel pain.”

 

The Queen turned her head at his direction. “How is it so?” She demanded.

 

“Hive Mind,” Obi-Wan said out loud, “they share feelings. If you kill one person, the agony of death will be shared by all. And the grief, too.”

 

The Queen stared at him.

 

“If all are killed and only Lilian is left …” Obi-Wan paused deliberately for the Queen to consider the outcome first before continuing, “she would be in great pain and sorrow. Surely you would not want that happen to your beloved Lilian, Your Majesty.”

 

Silence. Obi-Wan felt his skin tingled in anticipation. If the Queen chose to ignore what he said …

 

“Should I believe you, young Jedi?” she closed their distance in a menacing manner. Obi-Wan suddenly realised that she was _much taller_ than him.

 

“I only ask you not to kill these people one by one. Find your daughter first. I believe she will give the same explanation. If she doesn’t, then …”

 

“I will kill you both.” A cruel smile formed on her lips. Turning, she called the next slave.

 

One by one the Queen examined, and Obi-Wan sensed the young Skywalker had become more and more agitated. “I can escape when they are not noticing, and bring the ship here. You and Master Jinn could round up the traffickers and we all fly back to the Temple. What if – ”

 

A young woman stepped in the Palace. Her head was lowered, and her hands were bound by a pair of iron handcuffs. She did not raise her head even when the Queen approached her. Obi-Wan felt a strong turbulence in the force. His heartbeat quickened.

 

_It’s her._

 

The Queen forced the woman to show her face. Unwillingly, she complied, and Obi-Wan saw the familiar blue eyes, with some hint of golden pigments in it. Her hair was dark-brown like others, and her skin was smooth and pale. The Queen took a step back.

 

“Lilian!” She gasped.

 

Lilian did not respond. Her gaze was intense, and… accusing.

 

“Look what they have done to you, my child!” The Queen reached for the girl’s hand, but the latter moved away. The Queen shook her head: “Why are you doing this?”

 

“Because I was happy with my father in that planet, _mother_.” Lilian glared at the queen, “but you _ruined_ it all. Besides, I am not Lilian anymore. I am Agathe.”

 

 _Her father is a Teilhardian!_ Obi-Wan realised the common feature shared by the girl and the Teilhardians: the hair, the golden pigments in her eyes. _That is another reason why the Queen wants the whole group of slaves to gather in the palace – she wants to find the father_!

 

“Look, Li – Agathe,” the Queen shook her head, “this is foolish. I am the Queen here and I can provide you with anything you want. But your father, he …”

 

“He loves me.” Said Agathe, quietly.

 

The Queen looked as if she was slapped.

 

“Nonsense! I love you more than he can, Agathe. You were kidnapped by these… these people, and I have gone through all the troubles just to get you back. Isn’t that love?”

 

Agathe huffed. “No, mother. It isn’t. I ran away willingly.”

 

“ _What?!_ ”

 

“She’s right, Isabelle. She escaped with me.” A tall man entered. His thick brown hair was tousled, and his features and the girl’s were strikingly similar. The man spoke again, this time in a harsher tone: “Sorry, Isabelle, but your cruelty is … too much for her. The time you decided to execute the entire legion of your Noble Guards … I cannot stand that. So I asked her to go home with me.”

 

“Yes. And you never understand, mother. I am a half-Teilhardian. I share their bonds. It is more agonising to be separated from them … many galaxies away. This is another reason why I ran with my father.” Agathe’s stare did not waver.

 

The Queen was visibly shaken. She glared at the little girl and her father, then walked back to her throne. Her lips were trembling, and there was a murderous glint in her eyes.

 

Obi-Wan knew he had to do something or everything would be torn apart.

 

“You Majesty, maybe you should let Agathe and her people go. Release the slaves.” He ventured, “Because that will make them all happy.”

 

“No!” The Queen snapped at him, “There is no way that I will let my precious child go. Lilian is my daughter, and here she will stay.”

 

“He is right. I _want to_ go.” Lillian answered adamantly.

 

 

“Then may I suggest that each party take a step back? Agathe will remain in the planet, but with her people – as honoured guests instead of slaves. In the meantime, you could meet with your daughter and her father as frequently as you want.”

 

To Agathe and her father, he said, softly, “The Queen truly want you two by her side. After all, she is still a woman who want a family. And you can still share the Hive Mind with your people. What’s more, you may have positive influence on her, so that she could be, ah, more ‘compassionate’ and less ruthless. What do you think, Agathe?” He looked at the girl. _She is the key. If she agrees, then the Queen will surely agree._

 

Agathe shifted her gaze to Obi-Wan. They looked at each other for a long time as if exchanging information. Obi-Wan tried not to show his anxiety – if, if …

 

“Accept it.” Beside him, Anakin spoke.

 

Although the Skywalker looked like that he wanted the whole mess over quickly, Obi-Wan still appreciated the help. Agathe let out a long breath.

 

She nodded.

 

Few meters away on the throne, the Queen nodded, too.

 

-

 

Obi-Wan’s intervention was a generally a success. After the dramatic family had come to terms, the Queen released all slaves and, under the influence of her husband, announced slavery illegal. She even invited Obi-Wan to their official wedding, but the latter turned it down politely. Obi-Wan told her that he needed to transport the traffickers back for trial as soon as possible.

 

“Actually, I asked them to bring all the Teilhardians in that region when they found the girl,” the Queen told him, “Because I wanted to punish them for stealing Li- Agathe away. They took all of them under my command …”

 

Obi-Wan sighed. The matter never stopped being complicated.

 

“I know what you mean and I will report accordingly, You Majesty. They will not be punished as severely as before, but there will still be sentence because human – or other creatures – trafficking has to stop. The Republic need examples to soothe the Teilhard government.”

 

That night, Obi-Wan left the icy world to the Temple. Anakin was tinkering something at the control panel when Obi-Wan coming out from the Quarter. He saw his master smiling at him.

 

“You have progressed, my former Padawan.” Qui-Gon said, “You have carried out the mission successfully. I must say that I am very happy for you.”

 

“Thank you, Master Jinn.” Obi-Wan felt the temperature of his face rose. After all the years, he still flushed at the compliment of his old master.

 

“I agree!” Anakin jumped down from his chair, “except the part in which you don’t let me to fight. But when we are confronting the guards – it was wonderful.” He grinned at Obi-Wan.

 

“And have you made any progress in meditation, Anakin?” Qui-Gon turned to face his new Padawan, “I guess you did not even attempt once during my absence. Has he, Obi-Wan?”

 

“Not that I could remember.” Obi-Wan tried not to look at Anakin. He was too tired to be the negotiator again, especially one on this petty issue. Anakin whined and retreated back to his quarter.

 

“Practice makes perfect.” Qui-Gon quoted. The young man answered through a loud bang on the door.

 

“Padawans.” Qui-Gon shook his head and sat beside Obi-Wan. Together, they waited for the translation to the hyperspace.

 

-

 

On the next Council meeting, Obi-Wan did a summary on the mission, while Qui-Gon and his Padawan Anakin was duly commended for their exceptional performance. The Skywalker looked exuberant for being credited, and could not wait to brag about it. Qui-Gon was trying to tell him that being proud is not good. Obi-Wan, however, was asked to stay in the Council for a little more time.

 

“Excellent job,” Master Yoda said, “You have done. Good idea, sending you is.”

 

“Thank you, Master Yoda.” Obi-Wan bowed.

 

“Follow them, in every mission, You will.” Yoda continued.

 

Obi-Wan blinked in disbelief.

 

“Yes, the Council requires your involvement in every mission that they are assigned. After much deliberations and discussions, the Council had decided that this is the most appropriate way.” Master Windu smiled at Obi-Wan, “They need a negotiator, and I believe you are the best.”

 

“T – thank you, Master Windu.” Obi-Wan was not sure how to think of it. Indeed it would be great to travel with his old master again and _the Chosen One_ , but the trips could be exhausting. He was not sure if the next time everything could go as smoothly as this one.

 

And once again, his premonitions proved correct.

 

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So basically, the story is like this:  
> Qui-Gon: I must follow the force.  
> Anakin: I want to fight!  
> Obi-Wan: Anakin No! Qui-Gon please - Uh, never mind. I'll sort this out.
> 
> Poor Obi :P


End file.
